Botanical Notices from Spain. 119 



the level of the sea, — the highest on the north side of the Sierra 

 Nevada. In spite of its lofty position, one might fancy oneself 

 in the neighbourhood of Granada, this village being surrounded by 

 the most luxuriant vegetation of the warm region. Fig- and almond- 

 trees raise their heads in the dells, even in the mountain region, 

 and are almost to be considered vi'ild here, while the slope of the 

 valley lying to the north of the village is partly clothed with luxu- 

 riant chestnut trees, succeeded by an extensive wood of Quercus Ilex. 

 The whole valley of the Jenil, the chief river of the north, is con- 

 siderably wider and deeper than that of the Monachil and Dilar, and 

 therefore much warmer. The banks of the river are bordered, from 

 Granada to a league above Guejar, with thick woods of Salix alba, L., 

 Populus nigra and alba, Ulmus campestris, L., and Celtis australis, L., 

 which latter tree occurs in countless numbers in the immediate en- 

 virons of the village. The underwood consists of the already-men- 

 tioned Rubus, Coriaria myrtifolia, Daphne Gnidium and Retama sphce- 

 rocarpa, while the numerous impenetrable hedges are composed ex- 

 clusively of Rubus hispanicus and Elceagnus angustifolia, with a spe- 

 cies of Clematis, Tamus communis, L., and Asparagus albus, L., running 

 over them. Foeniculum vulgare, Geertn., with other Umbellifera, 

 are plentiful along the river. In some places Hypericum bccticum, 

 Boiss., Chlora per/oliata,Ij., &c. Mentha rotundifolia, h., is most 

 abundant in moist shady spots, in company with Euphorbia, species 

 of Atriplex and Chenopodium, Plumbago europcea, L., Origanum virens, 

 Lk. et Hotfmsegg., Heliotropium europaum, L., and Althcea cannabina, 

 L. On the rugged cliiFs of marble I found a Dianthus common, 

 with Bupleurum gibraltaricum, Lam., and in the shady dells to the 

 northward Hypericum Capri/olium, Boiss., Pyrethrum Parthenium, L., 

 Lithospermum officinale, L., Epilobium hirsutum, L. On dry sandy 

 places, in sunny fields and on the road-sides grew Senecio linifolius, L., 

 ascending as far as the alpine region, Picnomon Acarna, Cass., with 

 other thistles, and in a single place, Cynara alba, Boiss. For the 

 rest, the vegetation is exactly the same as in the other parts of the 

 limestone alps. 



Very different from the above-described vegetation of the limestone 

 districts of the Sierra Nevada is that of the primary rocks, which 

 begins at a height of about 4000 to 5000 feet. The flora of the 

 lower mountain region agrees tolerably with that of the moun- 

 tain limestone, but in the upper region and the alpine portion many 

 other plants make their appearance. Among trees and shrubs Quer- 

 cus Ilex and Quercus Toza especially prevail, mingled with Lonicera 

 arborea and Crataegus granatensis, which rise to the highest alpine 

 valleys and are the most beautiful trees here. Adenocarpus decorti- 

 cans also occurs frequently ; more rarely, Cerasus Avium, Pyrus 

 Aria and Taxus baccata. The whole upper mountain and lower 

 alpine region is clothed with Genista aspalathoides, DeC, and Astra* 

 galus aristatus, L'Herit., with a woody stem often as thick as a man's 

 arm ; both ascend to the snow-region, where I have even found the 

 latter in flower. The mountain region is also particularly charac- 

 terized by Artemisia campestris, L., var. glutinosa, Ten., which 



